Carmell Jackson
Carmell Jackson, future market tenant, from a video supporting the project called “Madison Public Market Forward!”
When Carmell Jackson worked her stand at Taste of Madison last month, she was peppered with questions. People didn’t so much want to know about her chicken, her mac and cheese, or the way she blended cabbage and kale. They were focused on something else.
“Aren’t they supposed to build a market you’re going to be in?” Jackson, owner and operator of Melly Mell’s Catering, says everybody was asking. “Then they said, ‘When is that going to happen?’ and I said, ‘I have no idea.’”
The Madison Public Market, more than 15 years in the making, seemed to finally be on its way a couple of years ago. Then COVID-19 hit and news broke last summer that city support for the $15 million market could change because of pandemic-related budget shortfalls.
“We were really on a roll,” says Anne Reynolds, chair of the city’s Public Market Development Committee and a board member of the Madison Public Market Foundation, the entity that will operate the market. “Then we had to adjust to reality. We had plans to potentially open this year and we had to put the brakes on and tell the vendors we had to wait. They understood, but that was hard.”
In the end, there was no change and the project — which calls for converting the city’s former Fleet Services Building at 200 N. First St. into a year-round market offering fresh produce, locally made food and other products — retained its $7 million in tax incremental finance (TIF) money.
“It’s on very solid footing right now,” says Matt Mikolajewski, the city’s economic development director. “We’re very happy, especially given the pandemic, that we’re able to move this project forward with only a year’s delay.”
The delays caused by COVID-19 created shifts within the plan and with some of its funding. Besides the city’s TIF money, the Public Market Foundation raised $3.35 million, and the project awaits word on an approximately $3 million grant through the federal Economic Development Administration. That grant will be the final piece of the puzzle in being able to move forward and bid out construction, organizers say.
The federal grant is tied to a relatively new change in the plan — the Food Innovation Center.
Because the Fleet Services Building sprawls over two floors with 45,000 square feet, it offers options beyond just vendors and event space. The innovation center is planned as a flexible space and commercial kitchen for small food manufacturers.
“It’s going to integrate well with the public market concept,” says Reynolds, who has been involved with the project since 2005. “We’ve had time to plan it and create its own business plan.”
The emphasis of the market continues to be on entrepreneurship and diversity. The first five vendors were announced in September as part of the foundation’s Market Ready program, which provided resources and business coaching to potential market vendors. Thirty businesses were chosen for the program, and the five that were deemed most market ready were announced as vendors.
“That was the best idea for someone like me,” says Jackson of Melly Mell’s Catering. “I started this business without much knowledge, learning as I go. I’ve gotten my business more together, I’ve gotten a new website, I’ve learned more about invoicing and about resources to help me. I have that knowledge now.”
MSR Design
This rendering shows the mezzanine overlook in the city’s plans for transforming its former fleet facility into a year-round public market.
The city is currently using the old Fleet Services Building as a men’s homeless shelter. It was planned as a temporary space, but the city has yet to find a permanent location. Though there is some concern that this could further delay or change plans for the market, Reynolds is confident things will proceed as planned.
“That shelter really is temporary,” says Reynolds, who is also on the board of Madison Area Care for the Homeless (MACH) HealthOne. “I’m very aware of the challenges in that area, but I also know that the fleet building is in no way set up to be a permanent shelter. It’s a big garage with porta-potties and movable furniture.”
In September, the Public Market Foundation advertised its first staff position — a part-time administrative, marketing and events role. Reynolds says a market director will be hired at least a year before opening, and an operations manager for the food innovation center about six months before opening.
The annual operating budget of approximately $1 million is expected to be met through vendor and event space rentals. Plans call for 30 permanent vendors.
“We’ve had 200 vendors express interest,” Reynolds says. “We don’t want to go back to them until we have certainty around the date. They need to know. I do think we’ll have that certainty this fall.”
